Blazers writer confirms the brutal trade reality Lakers face with Matisse Thybulle

If the Los Angeles Lakers want a strong buy-low trade candidate before the looming deadline, Matisse Thybulle certainly ticks some important boxes. At his best, the Portland Trail Blazers wing is a great defender, improved shooter, and fills a clear roster need. The elephant in the room is his health.

Thybulle struggled with availability in 2024-25 with the Blazers. The former All-Defensive Team member only played 15 games during the campaign. It has been a similar story in 2025-26. Thybulle has appeared in just four games for Portland, and now has a new injury to navigate.

The Blazers revealed last Thursday that Thybulle added a right knee tendinopathy injury to go with his attempt to get things in gear following thumb surgery. One Blazers writer immediately thought what a lot of others wanted to say about the situation — that is a lot for trade suitors to overlook.

Reese Kunz of Rip City Project wrote: "If Thybulle isn't healthy by the deadline, it's going to be much more challenging for Portland to not only find a trade partner but also get anything of significance in return. ... These past two seasons have proven that the Blazers can't rely on Thybulle going forward. "

Lakers are staring down a ton of injury-related red flags with Matisse Thybulle

It is no secret the Lakers are in the market for a 3-and-D upgrade this season. The pickings are slim for Los Angeles.

After improving his 3-point shot throughout his career — even if the volume continues to be low — Thybulle stands out as someone who could be a fairly gettable player for the Lakers. The skill set is there and the financials line up pretty seamlessly.

Thybulle is earning around $11.6 million in the final year of his current deal during the 2025-26 season. That lines up perfectly with the Lakers' collection of expiring contracts. The trade pretty much builds itself, and only further compensation would need to be settled on from there.

However, as things stand, it is becoming increasingly difficult to risk any of those added assets for a guy who is far from a guarantee to be available. Thybulle works in theory for the Lakers. If ailments force the theory to remain just that, it quickly becomes a brutal trade miss for Los Angeles.

At most, perhaps the Lakers could be willing to explore a swap involving Maxi Kleber and their lone second-round pick in 2032. That allows the Blazers to maintain an expiring contract and get some draft capital.

"A contender may be willing to bet on Thybulle returning in time for a postseason run, when they'll need him the most," Kunz suggested.

That would pretty much be the thought process here. Even if the Blazers have no intention of having Thybulle be a part of the long-term vision in Portland, it is still a pretty small return for them. Another contender could easily outbid the Lakers.

This one may just not truly make sense for either side. The Blazers could demand more for Thybulle, even with the injuries. On the other end, despite a lack of supply for the Lakers' demands, there are other gambles to explore that would serve the needs in Los Angeles better than this one.